'Soldier's Wife' a warm wartime comedy

Published 1:00 am, Sunday, March 5, 2006

Returning veteran John Rogers (Michael Polak) is surprised to find his wife's letters to him have turned her into a literary celebrity in Rose Franken's "Soldier's Wife."

Angela Pierce co-stars in the revival of Rose Franken's 1944 wartime play at the
Mint Theater
in New York City.
Period plays are by their nature historical, whether they reflect the near past or a distant century. In any case, they have the ability to illustrate how mankind repeats itself, for better or worse.
"Soldier's Wife," a 1944 romantic comedy by Rose Franken, perhaps better known to older readers as the author of "Claudia," was a sympathetic look at the adjustments World War II veterans and the wives they left behind had to make when reunited.
The men, scarred by the horrors of war, the women altered by bearing responsibility for keeping the home fires burning, could not easily resume where they had left off.
With so many American men now fighting in Iraq, the likelihood of similar difficult transitions and reunions is obvious.
Franken's play is set on Manhattan's upper West Side, a neighborhood known more then for being economical than for the trendy cachet it has today.
John Rogers (Michael Polak), recovering from serious wounds, returns home to his wife, Katherine (Angela Pierce), after more than a year's absence. While he has faced enemy fire, there has been tragedy on the home front as well  Katherine barely survived childbirth, and her sister's draft-exempt husband died of a heart attack.
These poignant events take a back seat in the Rogers' homecoming. In addition to a son he has not yet seen, John has another surprise in store for him  Katherine has become a literary sensation.
Her newfound fame is something John innocently triggered. He had shared Katherine's letters with his lonely best buddy (later to die), who was so moved by them that he passed them on to his father, a publisher in New York.
The letters are about to be published under the title "Soldier's Wife," and Katherine finds she's eagerly sought out by literary agents and women's editors looking for a touching story for their readers.
Polak and Pierce play their parts with a sweet tentativeness that makes clear that just coming through the door is not all there is to coming home.

Judith Hawking
plays Florence, Katherine's sister, and contributes a nice wry touch to the family scene.
But it's in the second act, with the arrival of
Alexander Craig
(
Jordan Lage
), a cynical and jaded writer who comes to interview Katherine, and
Peter Gray
(
Kate Levy
), his ultra-sophisticated boss, that this charming play becomes truly funny.
Completely unmoved by the husband/wife story he has been sent to write, Lage is a carbon copy of the 1940s wit
Robert Benchley
. When Florence suggests he doesn't know much about the family scene, he replies: "You're right. I don't know what it's all about. The nearest thing I'll ever get to a baby is the
Stork Club
."
Levy will bring back memories of the shoulder-padded
Rosalind Russell
, another actress noted for playing high-powered female executives. With a voice that sounds like
Ann Sheridan
and a delivery
Eve Arden
would envy, Levy is nothing short of hilarious.
The set by
Nathan Heverin
is just what John and Katherine could afford, and the period costumes by
Clint Ramos
are deliciously apt. He saves the best for Levy. Her hats, tilted on her head like flying saucers, indict the 1940s as a period when style took a holiday. Who says fashion can't be fun?
"Soldier's Wife" is as comfortable as an old shoe, and that's meant to be a compliment. The three acts go quickly, moving from sentiment to humor and back again. Director
Eleanor Reissa
has done an admirable job of shaping the warm and genuine characters.

The Mint Theater is devoting this season to American women playwrights. Next up, June 6 to July 30, will be
Rachel Crothers
' "Susan and God." Mark your calendars.

"Soldier's Wife" plays through April 2 at the Mint Theater, Third Floor, 311 W. 43rd St., New York City. Performances are Tuesdays through Thursdays at 7 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8, and matinees Saturdays and Sundays at 2. Tickets are $45; call (212) 315-0231, or purchase them online at
www.minttheater.org
.